December 1, 2025
Photo: Victorian Fisheries Authority
Monitoring our native fish populations is an incredibly important part of ensuring our fish stocks remain in good shape, now and into the future.
The Native Fish Report Card program monitors selected native fish species across ten priority river systems and provides accessible information on the current status of native fish in these waterways.
Fish surveys for the program commenced in 2017 and are conducted annually in autumn to avoid the spring periods of peak migration when some native fish undertake long distance movements into or out of rivers.
The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA)’s Arthur Rylah Institute (ARI) survey the rivers through using electrofishing and fyke nets to assess populations. For each target species they collect the following information: total number of fish caught, fish per 1km of waterway, largest fish by length (cm), largest fish by weight (kg) and percentage of catch that is legal size.
The selected target species include those with high conservation and/or recreational value – such as Murray cod, golden perch, Macquarie perch, trout cod, to name a few. Non-target species that are caught incidentally during surveys are not counted.
The ten priority systems that are monitored through the program include: Gellibrand River, Glenelg River, Goulburn River, Gunbower River, Lindsay River and Mullaroo Creek, Mitchell River, Ovens River, Thomson and Macalister River, Wimmera River, and Yarra River.
The Native Fish Report Cards for 2025 have now been released and highlight how the populations are tracking across the state – so what did we find out?
The Ovens River had the highest number of fish per kilometre surveyed compared to the other NFRC rivers that targeted Murray Cod (Goulburn, Gunbower and Lindsay-Mullaroo). The Ovens isn’t stocked with Murray cod by the Victorian Fisheries Authority, so this result shows us that regular breeding is occurring in the river.
In great news for trout cod populations in the Ovens River, a threatened species in Victoria, surveys have shown the second highest abundance of trout cod since the surveys began. According to the report, the wide size range indicates that the conditions in the Ovens River are supporting the recruitment and survival of the species.
In the Gunbower Creek, most Murray cod caught in 2025 were one- to two-year-old fish (10-20 cm) and likely to be a result of stocking. The blackwater event in 2022/23 resulted in a lack of recruitment recorded in 2023 which is now evident by the distinct gap in the 30-45cm fish. The Gunbower Creek also the largest fish caught in this year’s surveys with a Murray cod measuring 113cm and a massive 26.7 kilograms.
In the Thomson and Macalister surveys, a wide range of sizes of Australian bass were detected in 2025, ranging from recruits to large adult fish. Since 2023, the rivers are no longer stocked with Australian bass.
Find out more about the Native Fish Report Card program.
In Victoria, many agencies invest significant resources in river and riparian rehabilitation activities and research, as well as fish stocking and enforcement. The results of the program are used to inform management, policy and strategic research.
The Native Fish Report Card program is a collaboration between DEECA, ARI, and the Victorian Fisheries Authority, in partnership with recreational fishing license holders.
